


The Lullaby of Death

by someidioticurl - stories (someidioticurl)



Category: One Piece
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:15:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26484028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/someidioticurl/pseuds/someidioticurl%20-%20stories
Summary: In the morning fog, Heart Pirates stumble upon an abandoned ship drifting off the coast of an island they are yet to visit.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	The Lullaby of Death

**Author's Note:**

> This should be sitting in drafts but nah, I'll edit this first chapter as I go.
> 
> It's a re-write of my old old fanfic between Heart Pirates and my OC Emil Utter. We didn't have a lot of info on HP back then (2012? 2013?) and I'm not caught up with the current manga anyway (only finished Dressrosa) so probably a lot of details will be off.
> 
> This is set a few months after the Battle of Marineford. With Luffy healed up and gone, Heart Pirates ventured to the New World and are about to visit the 6th island there.

An abandoned ship, huh?

Law had already seen it through a periscope in the control room - holes in the hull, broken masts, ripped sails and an ominous aura in the morning fog - but he was yet to see it up close. So was his crew. Polar Tang hasn't completed the emerging sequence yet but half of the crew had already gathered in front of the door. They whispered; they wondered; they snickered and guessed. What would it be like? Would they find white skeletons dressed in ragged clothes? Would they find ghosts? Would they find a _treasure_? 

They were going to embellish the story of this encounter more and more with each tavern they visit, weren't they? Law would have to record the first version just to compare it with the twentieth.

A light by the door turned on and Flynn’s voice resounded through the speakers: lady and gentlemen, we have surfaced.

With a cheer, Penguin and Shachi pushed the door open. Jean Bart and Bepo hefted a plank off the wall and carried it out. Heart Pirates spilt out to the deck and - like a wave - ran toward the railing.

Law shook his head as a smirk tugged at his lips. An unhurried step after an unhurried step, he followed outside, paused, frowned.

The crew had gone quieter. Sombre.

There was no more cheering, no laughing. Though, whispers persisted, accompanied by quick glances from the abandoned ship to Law and back to the ship.

Law breathed in.

Blood.

Whatever was on the deck of this ship had to be old, yes, but only hours, not months.

No aged skeletons, dried out by the elements and grinning toothy grins. Instead, swollen and grey bodies with flies buzzing around.

Bepo and Jean Bart secured the plank.

Law stepped on it - least they have time to argue who should go on first. With hands in his pockets, he climbed up to the higher deck. He stood up there for a second that felt like an eternity, then turned back. "Bepo, bring me Kikoku from my room," his tone was calm; bored even.

While Bepo saluted with a loud ‘aye aye’, the rest whispered louder. First Shachi, but then the rest, followed Law onto the deck.

It was littered with bloody body parts. There were full corpses here and there but the majority was missing at least one limb and a good portion of innards. Ripped, chewed, chomped and clawed. As if a horde of human eating animals had had a go at this ship’s crew. The smell up there was worse but manageable. The view was morbid but still - with no imminent danger in sight - Heart Pirates perked up. They weren’t as loud as back inside Polar Tang but some of them even joked. Some set to search for possible survivors while others deemed it pointless.

Law stepped to an aftercastle door - it was broken in half, with the top hinge ripped off. Both the door and the wall around it held scorch and claw marks. Law touched the weathered but thick wood - not all of them but a couple of marks were as wide as three his fingers.

He walked in and coughed; his eyes teared up. He backed out and took a deep breath of the fresher air. It _stank_. Outside, the wind had dried out most of the smells but not inside. The stench of blood mixed with urine fumes and acrid fetor of faeces.

Bepo trotted over. "Captain!” He handed over Kikoku and covered his nose with both hands. Shifting from foot to foot, he looked between Law and the doorway. His eyes teared up even worse than Law's had.

"Stay outside, Bepo." Law adjusted Kikoku on his shoulder and turned closer to the door to hide a smirk at an obvious sigh of relief from Bepo. He squared his shoulders, held his breath and walked in. Here and there Law noted round bullet holes and clean blade marks but - just as the outside - corpses and floors and walls were crisscrossed with jagged claw marks. He stepped over yet another half-eaten torso and pushed the second set of thick, yet broken doors.

The captain's quarters.

Wary only enough to counter-attack should anything jump him, Law made a beeline to the row of windows and opened one after another. Sticking his face out, he took in a few deep breaths. When neither his lungs nor nose were killing him anymore, Law turned back to the room. It was oddly... Empty. Two corpses aside, there were papers and pieces of porcelain and feathers from ripped pillows scattered all over the floor and broken furniture but... There wasn't much more. Law counted only two broken chairs around a table that could easily fit six. The captain's desk with a few bullet holes and jagged slashes was missing a chair as well and four out of its five drawers were empty. The wardrobe held some clothes but way more empty hangers.

Law crouched over the bigger corpse. Was it the captain? Probably not. The clothes inside the wardrobe would fit a thin, tall person, not a wide-shouldered man like that. The other corpse, on the other hand, was too short. Law stood up and scanned around the quarters once more before leaving. His crew was going to be disappointed - they had counted on a ghost story and a forgotten treasure. What they found were a bloody mess and a _pilfered_ ship.

Law passed on that if they wanted, they could go inside but to not have their hopes high and be wary of any potential animals that might have stayed behind. While Shachi, Uni and Noah searched for other brave souls with no regard for their noses or stomaches, Law leant against a railing closer to the island.

If the fog had lifted, it wasn't by much. Dark waves rolled between two white cliffs into a bay and leapt onto a white sand beach. Beyond that was a belt of grass ending at a wall of dark and tall conifers. They rose and merged into the enormous shadow of a mountain. Law looked along the right cliff and frowned, leaning over the railing. He turned back. "Jess!"

"Aye, Captain!" From the other side of the ship, he rushed over, paused, stepped over a ravaged corpse, continued his run, almost tripped over his own legs but - flapping his arms - regained his balance. Red on his freckled face, Jess looked around at snickering crewmates, scratched the back of his head and finally trotted up to Law. "Yes, Captain?"

Law nodded behind, toward the island. "You and Bepo agree it's Anvis, yes?"

"Yes." Still bouncing on his feet, Jess twirled his thumbs. "The sixth island on our route counting from the Red Line. It's roughly twelve square miles. Mountainous with seashore alternating between cliffs and sandy bays. The season pattern is regular but seasons shift every two weeks. It's uninhabited by humans but full of highly dangerous animals, though they stay away from the shore so ships waiting for their Log Poses to shift can safely stay in... Any of the... Bays..." Shifting from leg to leg, he scratched his shoulder as he peeked back at the bloody carnage. "They were unlucky, I guess."

"There's another inaccuracy." Law pointed to the right cliff.

Jess stepped up and leant over, frowning. With his both hands on the railing, he tapped an erratic rhythm. "Is that... A house?"

Law nodded. "With lights on." He leant over to Jess and sniffed.

Coffee.

"Huh." Jess's head snapped to Law, then back to the foggy silhouette of a house, to Law and like that a few more times. "Do you think whoever lives there is..." He glanced back at the ship. "Responsible for this mess?"

Law smirked. "I _hope_ they are." What was the alternative? They stuck to the cliff, away from the forest, hoping the animals didn't decide to venture out? "Also, Jess." Law put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, Captain?" Jess stared at him with his big, brown eyes.

"No more coffee for you. Doctor's orders."

Jess deflated. His smile, shoulders and spirits dropped. "Aye, aye... Captain."

Others chuckled.

~ * ~

The fog persisted even when the Heart Pirates anchored in the bay and even when Law and Bepo set out to scale the cliff. The silhouette of a house with a blinking light split into two buildings. The closer one - with the light - had two storeys, the further one had only one. Both were built out of logs set on a stone base and with a shingled roof. The first was a house with a porch and a balcony, the second was a workshop, with a shed full of firewood and a thick chimney.

They looked... Normal. Blurred and hidden in the fog they might have seemed ominous but up close, they looked normal. Just another building one could see in a regular village... The only weird thing was the numerous weathervanes. Between the two buildings: Law counted five; each in an aquatic theme.

The only light was in a big window to the right from the door. Curtains were drawn though so all they saw were moving shadows.

"Do you think they have a small party, Captain?" Bepo asked with a hopeful note in his voice.

Law shrugged. "Maybe." There was faint jazz music after all and laughter. "But it would only be a very _quiet_ party for-" Law motioned to the emptiness around them "-some reason." Seeing Bepo drop his ears, Law patted his shoulder. "If you're hoping for snacks, I'm sure they will give you some if you ask nicely." If not, Law would ask less nicely.

With his spirits back up, Bepo strode to the porch but stopped by the door, stepped to the side, shifted Kikoku under the arm and pressed his forefingers together. He shifted his gaze between Law and the door - it was as plain as a day that he waited for Law to do the honours. For a second, Law considered slowing down but Bepo's puppy eyes actually made him pick up the pace a bit. He stepped to the door, wasted a bit of time staring at Bepo with a lopsided smirk before - ever so polite - he knocked.

The laughter grew louder and the door swung in and wide open, revealing a dark hallway and a small boy with a mop of black hair. His big smile dropped but his eyes widened.

"Miki?" A similar-looking woman walked in from the lit room. Her eyes widened the same way and she gasped too. "Miki!" Unlike her probably son, she rushed in, grabbed her probably son and pushed the door closed. She shrieked when they didn't - Law held them open. "Emil!" Clutching the boy to her chest, the woman rushed to the back of the hallway and up a staircase there. "Emil! Pirates!"

Not so polite then.

With his hands once again in pockets and no hurry in the world, Law strolled in. He snickered noting that - unlike him - Bepo tiptoed behind, nodding his head as he stepped over the threshold. He even wiped his feet! Law paused by the open doorway to the lit room - a living room. At a glance, it seemed cosy and Law spotted the top of a balding, white-haired head behind a dark green armchair and a pair of small feet sticking out from a side of the same armchair. An old man and another child.

Someone yawned.

Law and Bepo looked up to the staircase.

From the darkness of the landing, a person in oversized clothes emerged. Pantlegs pooled around their bare feet and only fingertips were visible from within sleeves of the thick hoodie. They yawned again, not even covering their mouth. This boy. Woman? It was hard to say. 'Emil' was a male name, wasn't it? Clicking their tongue, they stood on the second bottom stair - only there their eyes were about at the same level as Law's. "Hello." Their tone was soft, unbothered. "Please excuse them, they got out of pirate captivity only yesterday."

There was a chirp and a small bird fluttered down from the upstairs and landed on top of their head.

They pointed at the bird. "That's Bor. I'm Emil. Tea? Coffee? Hot chocolate? I'm making some either way - we can talk over something to drink." Humming along to the still playing jazz song, Emil walked down, passed Law with ease and peaked their head into the living room. "Mister Warrian, please take Cinny upstairs and tell Terrance to get out of the broom cupboard."

The balding head poked up from behind the armchair, followed by the rest of an elderly man and a small girl in his arms. While she clutched to him, hiding her face in his chest, he inched closer to the open doorway, his eyes clearly set on Law.

On one side Law enjoyed the fear he inspired but on the other side, he wished to be done with it. So he simply stood with hands still in his pockets and a bored expression on his face.

The man jumped and took a step back at the sight of Bepo. The girl whimpered and held onto him even tighter.

"It's alright." Emil's voice was calm and soothing as they stepped back from the door and stood with their back directly in front of Law. "You can go upstairs."

Looking down, Law tilted his head. There was something on Emil's neck. Four somethings to be exact. From a distance, he had thought they were just tattoos but up close those two pairs of black lines at the base of their neck seemed sunken into their flesh. Gills? While Emil watched the others inch to the staircase, Law lifted his hand. Careful, not to pull Emil's attention too soon, he neared his forefinger to one of those lines.

"Please don't, Mister Trafalgar." Emil turned their head to glance up at Law over their shoulder. The opposite that the one Law was about to poke. "It feels pretty much as if someone stuck fingers up my nose." They snickered. "I might return the favour if you follow through."

"Are you threatening me?" Law hummed offhandedly. He might have been serious otherwise but _this_ was far more interesting. He held Emil's chin, stepped around them and leaned in even closer. Their eyes were pale grey. Their pupils were just a bit darker than irises and the line between the two was blurred.

Emil was blind.

As far as Law was aware, Emil _should_ be blind yet they had moved around and reacted as if capable of sight. Even that moment Emil's eyes seemed to focus on his own eyes. "How do you know my name?"

"I took my guess." Despite Law's treatment, Emil stayed calm and collected. No. Not only they weren't nervous but seemed to be ever so slightly _entertained_ by his attention. "A tall man with a bear companion, a nodachi and a fluffy hat, who arrived in a submarine." Emil shrugged. "There's only one name I've heard that fits this description." Emil stepped in, ignoring Law's thumb still on their chin. This close - with their height difference - they had to lean their head all the way back. "It was nice of you to confirm my guess, Mister Trafalgar," their words were but a whisper.

Law narrowed his eyes. Here he was, trying to make Emil uncomfortable but all he achieved was playing right into their hands. He let go of Emil's chin but rubbed his thumb over their cheek. This odd, yellow spot with a black border across Emil's nose and cheeks didn't smudge. "Nice tattoo." He doubted it was a tattoo.

"Thanks." Emil snickered and tilted hid head, pressing their sheep against Law's fingers. "I might actually show it to you later." They winked. "We may make out then too if you still seem so eager to get in my face." They pulled away.

Law didn't follow. There was no point in attempting to make Emil uncomfortable by getting into their personal space, wasn't there? The only one who seemed remotely bothered by this whole exchange was Bepo who politely looked away. Instead, Law took a grab of Emil's wrist. "Where are your webs then, miss Emil?" Their hand was _tiny_ in his. If put together, their fingertips would barely reach his intermediate phalanges. "What fish species are you?" With his thumb, he rubbed tiny circles into the side of Emil's forefinger - there was a thin scar along its length. "And how did you know we came in a submarine? You couldn't have seen that, miss Emil."

Emil's pressed their lips into a thin line and they tugged twice at Law's hold with only enough strength to make it noticeable but not enough to force their hand free. "The same way I know Bepo's been trotting in place pretty much since you came through my front door." They shifted closer again, once more leaning their head back to face Law with a slight smile on their lips. "I will gladly answer in detail once I have a cup of tea in my hands-" they tugged their hand again "-it's easier to make it with both hands though. Would you like tea, Bepo?"

"Ah, yes! Oh!" Bepo stared at Law, tightening his grip on Kikoku, nearly hugging it to his chest. "If you don't mind, Captain." He looked down, at his feet before glancing back up at Emil and then at Law once again. "I would love tea. And snacks if you have some... It was, Emil, wasn't it?"

Law let go of Emil's hand. "Black coffee for me, please, miss Emil."

"Grand." Emil clapped once and turned away from Law, trotting to a closed-door by the staircase. "What snacks would you like Bepo? I have..." They paused in the doorway to a kitchen and frowned. "Well, I have plenty, would be faster for you to just come over and pick something yourself." Emil nodded inside to encourage Bepo before walking in themselves. They didn't turn the lights on though, so the whole interior Law could see - a counter with a sink by a curtain drawn window - was grey.

"Captain?" Bepo dropped his head. "I'm sorry. Have I interrupted?"

"You haven't interrupted anything, Bepo." Walking past him, to the living room, Law patted his shoulder, then took Kikoku out of his hands. "Maybe it's for the better it went this way. Go pick your snack." Who knew where it would end up if he stubbornly tried to make Emil uncomfortable? If he wanted to know what had happened on the abandoned ship, he probably should keep things civil with them; he didn't feel like extracting this info from already terrified folks only to satisfy his own curiosity after all.

"Aye aye!" Bepo beamed and trotted to the kitchen where Emil was already clinking and clanking with porcelain.

Law took a look around the living room. He had already noticed before that it seemed cozy but now, he would also call it a bit eclectic and a bit... Fairy tale-y? None of the four armchairs in front of a fireplace matched the other. The majority of the lighting in the room was from an array of mushroom-shaped lights. An old gramophone stood on top of a piano in a corner and a bookshelf beside it was filled with records. A big, green jar on a coffee table was half full of paper stars. There was various origami scattered on shelves along with more or less accurate sculptures of animals and... Law walked over to a bookcase. No matter how he looked at this few centimetres tall, wooden figurine on the top shelf, it was - without a doubt - a dick.

Law snorted, picked it up, paused. He glanced toward the fireplace wall beyond which was the kitchen... Should he? Would Emil? Heh, why not?

He pocketed the wooden dick.

"I've seen that!" Emil's voice was loud enough there was no doubt they shouted - with a note of amusement - at Law. Or at least someone outside the kitchen. They snickered and said something but quieter - all Law picked up was 'Bepo'. "Would you put it back?"

Law took out the wooden dick and put it where he had found it.

"Thank you!"

Could it be haki? Was it how Emil knew they had arrived in a Submarine? Law had met people able to use it before but those were few, far in between, and more often than not, in the opposition to him. It would be a nice, if - for once - he could sit down and discuss technicalities of haki without the pressure of time or any threat. Would be even nicer to lear it himself.

The next thing that pulled his attention was on a chest of drawers under the window, next to a vase full of dried flowers. He stepped over a pile of fluffy pillows on the floor and walked over. He picked up this human skull and examined it.

It was real. 

It was a real human skull. Of a young male if Law wasn't mistaken. It had a few cracks here and there but he doubted that had been the cause of death. Had Emil killed this man? Had Emil simply found this skull long after they died? 

Law lifted it overhead. "Who's that?!"

"No need to shout." Emil chuckled as they walked in with a tray of mugs in their hands. Bepo followed close behind with another tray but his was full of bowls and plates of snacks. "That was just a guy who got on my bad side."

Law rose an eyebrow at this answer, though his attention was on the wall with the doorway now. "Do you have more skulls or did he happen to cross you more than anyone else?" He counted fourteen flags hanging on this wall. Some Marine, a few pirate, though the majority seemed to belong to merchant ships.

"He crossed me more than the rest." Emil took a cauldron shaped mug and plopped down onto the green armchair the old man had been hiding behind. "Killed someone I liked kind of crossed." They took a cookie from one of Bepo's plates and dipped it in their tea.

"And you kept it?" Law put the skull back and took another armchair - this one was black, square, and had a low backrest. He picked his coffee in a regular shaped mug but with a honeycomb imprint. Noting Bepo's expression, Law hid a smirk behind the mug.

"Those are delicious, Emil!" Bepo hummed. With one hand on his cheek and eyes closed, he _savoured_ a chocolate muffin with dark red berries.

"Thank you," Emil grinned at him and shifted, sitting sideways with their legs on the armrest. "Yes, I kept it. A reminder not to let it happen again, I suppose." Emil shrugged.

Law glanced back at the skull. Relatable. Would he keep Doflamingo's skull too, once he kills him? Perhaps. Perhaps taxidermy would be more suiting end for him. Then again, Law didn't feel like having this atrocious bird on Polar Tang.

"Do I still have to explain how I knew you arrived on a submarine, Mister Trafalgar?" Emil took a sip of their tea; their eyes fixed on Law.

"I have a theory." Law tapped his forefinger against his mug - it was some nice coffee; almost as good as his private stash. He took a sip. Should he inquiry? Should he feign an indifference? His heart rate had picked up the pace and his chest felt lighter but he could keep his poker face intact. Did it even matter? Wouldn't Emil be able to pick up on his anticipation _despite_ his level tone or calm expression? An opportunity to have someone unravel the secrets of observation haki seemed too good to be true.

"So?" Even though they hid their mouth behind the mug, a smile was obvious both in their eyes and the tone. "What do you think it is?"

"Observation haki." Law rolled his shoulders and shifted lower in the armchair, resting his ankle on a knee. "Were you always blind? Your seems to be better than anything I've seen so far, miss Emil." If they used it their entire life to offset the disability, it would explain their mastery despite their young age... Whatever it was. If Law had to guess he would say 'a woman about my age' but he would be willing to believe anything from an eighteen-year-old boy to a twenty-eight-year-old woman.

Emil lowered their mug and shook their head. "I went blind when I was eight and that's when my observation haki triggered." They dunked the cookie in the tea. "My dad could use it and I had insisted he trains me but it didn't work till then." Emil took a bite of their cookie and shrugged. "Could use armament haki since I can remember though."

"Huh?" Law tapped the mug again, his tone as even as before, despite his heart now hammering in his ears.

He hit a jackpot, didn't he? Should he ask? Would Emil agree to train them? If even only a few of his crew developed haki, it would greatly propel Law's plans. If he _himself_ learned _either_ , he would have another card up his sleeve against the Joker.

"I take it you had at least _some_ doing in this ruined ship just off the coast." Yes, he _wanted_ Emil to teach them haki but everything he had learned about the art of negotiation screamed at him to _not_ ask. Not yet. Not before he learns what Emil wants.

Emil nodded. "Some but not much. You've heard animals on this island are dangerous, haven't you?" Emil shifted their blind gaze between Law and Bepo. For someone unable of sight, their eyes sure were expressive.

With his cheeks full, Bepo nodded vigorously.

"They mostly ignore new arrivals. They don't know how strong they are so they don't want to risk attacking only to die themselves." Emil pointed to their sparrow, which had already sat on the coffee table and worked his way through a quarter of a light coloured muffin. "I'm better at assessing people's strength. If some new crew annoys me, I take out those that pose a risk and let the animals know the rest is good for picking."

Law nodded. "I take it their Captain annoyed you." If Emil took them out close their house, that would explain their absence in the Captain's quarters.

Emil wrinkled their nose. "He had bad breath and didn't listen when I told him to take it away from me."

Law shifted in his seat, leaning against the left elbow on the armrest, lifted his mug but hasn't drunk just yet. "How many of us would you have to take out, mister Emil?" He had called them 'miss' before - would they react in any other way at 'mister'?

Emil lifted their pale eyes at Law's face and one corner of their lips twitched upward. More amused than anything else. "You, of course, mister Trafalgar. While what I heard about your Devil Fruit powers makes me wish for a sparring match, my caution warns me to keep it at just that: friendly spar." With a hum and a careless smile, Emil faced Bepo. "I would have to take Bepo out as well but I wouldn't want to for different reasons and..." Emil tilted their head and closed one eye, looking up with the other. "One, two, three... Five. At least five more among those who stayed on board the submarine. Congrats." Emil lifted their mug in a salute. "Among the crews that freshly arrived in the New World, you're one of the stronger ones I've seen so far."

On one side, Law itched to point out Emil was blind - she hasn't seen anything since she was eight - but on the other side... It was a trap, wasn't it?

"Is Bor..."

Both Law and Emil turned their heads toward Bepo. With a deep frown and worry in his eyes, he looked down at the coffee table, at the aftermentioned sparrow. At the mention of his name, Bor stopped pecking his muffin or the very last remains of it and eyed Bepo...

Wait.

Law frowned at Bor.

"Is Bor going to be alright?" Pointing at him, Bepo turned to Emil. "This muffin he ate was bigger than he is."

"Ah, good eye, Bepo!" Grinning, Emil reached over and patted his arm. "Congrats! Not many notice that. Don't worry, Bor is a Zoan Devil Fruit user. His other form is a crow and his eating habits became weird ever since. As a sparrow, he can eat as much as a crow and be fine but as a crow, he can eat as much as a sparrow and be fine too." With eyes wide, Emil shrugged in a theatrical manner. "It's weird enough I stopped questioning it a while back."

"A sparrow, that can turn into a crow?" Law rose an eyebrow, eyeing Bor. "It sounds like a wasted Devil Fruit." He had learned long ago that no Devil Fruit was useless as long as the owner had some creativity. The Joker and the Strawhat were examples that came to him straight away. But... A bird that can turn into another, slightly bigger bird?

"To be specific, it's a crow that can turn into a sparrow." Emil smirked as she slumped in her seat, her tea mug at her lips. "Bor's been spending most of the time in the sparrow form ever since."

With a raised eyebrow, Law stared at Bor. He had finished his first muffin and now pushed another one off the plate, surely about to devour it too. "It only makes the wasted Devil Fruit case worse." Zoan types often gained animalistic strength and speed in their hybrid forms but... Still, a bird that could turn into a _smaller_ bird didn't sound like much of an improvement.

"It's been useful." Emil chuckled. "Some people are superstitious of crows and ravens and notice them while sparrows are ignored. And his hybrid form is faster than either full form." Once again, she rid a smirk behind her mug.

There was more to it, wasn't there? "It still sounds like a letdown." Would Emil continue to throw-in more tidbits to defend it?

"Perhaps." She took a sip and wiggled her eyebrows.

Would a straightforward and frank approach work better? "There's something more you're not telling me, are you?"

"Perhaps." Emil's tone was exactly the same and she repeated the eyebrow wiggle. "I haven't told you a lot of things yet."

Law lifted his mug and shrugged as much as his leaning pose allowed. "Such as?" A third time the charm?

"I quite enjoy your voice; keep talking to me. Your nodachi is stupidly long; I wanna handle it. I'd like to try on your hat too. Bepo is sweeter than a cinnamon bun and I would love to hug him."

Bepo paused with his mouth wide open, about to eat another cookie.

"I would like to be let onto your submarine and just walk around with a guide." Emil carried on; if she noticed Bepo's reaction, she didn't let it out. "I can sense most of it from the outside but just because I can sense it, doesn't mean I understand it. I would like to talk at least some of your crew into playing beach volleyball with me. It's been a while since I had enough fit people to play with. Can anybody on your crew play chess? I'm average at best but I enjoy a game regardless. Does any of you dance? Or is willing to learn swing? Should I carry on?"

"No, I think that's quite enough." Law rested his head on his hand, massaging little circles into his temple. Emil was hard to read. At first, she seemed calculating and clever but after this display, she seemed more like Strawhat - impulsive and moronic. At least now he had a semblance of an idea what he might offer to persuade her to show them how haki worked. All of those were simple things but possibly Emil was just as simpleminded.

Law glanced up, toward the ceiling. Somewhere up there, was at least five people. As far as he was aware, four of them were sighted.

If any of those simple tasks failed, Law could always offer he heals her blindness.

"Captain?" With his plate and mug already on the coffee table, Bepo poked his forefingers again. "Can I?" He nodded toward Emil, who in turn rose her eyebrows and - still comfortably nestled in her armchair - openly shifted her blind gaze between the two of them. With her small smirk ever present on her lips, she looked positively intrigued.

"Knock yourself out." Law relaxed in his own armchair and took a sip of his delicious coffee. It was going to take a moment, wasn't it?

Bepo beamed. With a grin from ear to ear, he nodded, stood up and dusted his bum. He turned to face Emil, straightened his back and coughed in his fist. "I would like to thank you, Emil, for your delicious snacks. They were divine, I would love to try some more at a later date too." Bepo's grin somehow grew even wider and he opened his arms. "You mentioned you would like to hug me."

Emil grinned herself, put away her mug and jumped to her feet... Without getting off the armchair - she stood up still _on_ it. Chuckling, she stepped up on the armrest then onto Bepo's armrest. With Bepo standing on the floor and her up there, their heads were on a similar level. She wrapped her arms around Bepo's neck, pressing her cheek against his.

Bepo wrapped his around her waist and picked her up. They both chuckled and giggled as Bepo spun them around and around. Three mouthfuls of coffee later, they stopped spinning and Bepo plopped back down onto his armchair but didn't let go of Emil.

With her seated on the armrest, she still had her arms around Bepo's neck. "Your fur is so soft, Bepo."

"Thank you." Bepo straightened up, puffing his chest a bit. "We call it mink though, not fur." He sniffed at Emil's hair. "You smell nice. Like peaches." He closed his eyes and hummed. "Peaches are nice, do you have some?"

Bor chirped and fluttered up to them. He landed on Emil's shoulder and kept on chirping, nudging his head against Emil's neck.

Emil snorted and let go of Bepo to scratch the top of Bor's head. "Yes, yes, your plumage is soft too, Bor."

Bepo grinned at Bor. "Don't be jealous Bor, I'm sure you give great hugs too."

Law looked away from them - Bor wasn't the only jealous one. He could nap on top of Bepo later though. "I must commend you, miss Emil." Law took a sip, putting up the air of nonchalance again. "Not many are not weirded out upon their first meeting with Bepo."

Emil blinked at him. Her right hand was on Bepo's cheek while she still scratched the top of Bor's head with the left forefinger. "I'm a part fishperson myself. It's not much of a leap to imagine there are other animal humanoids out there. Bepo's kind at least is mammals too. I wouldn't be surprised to meet bird people or insect people or plant people for that matter too."

"Only _part_ fishperson? Is that why you look so human?" Then again, there _were_ faint scars in between her fingers. "Speaking about, I've asked already: what fish species are you and what happened to your webs?"

"I'm a Moorish Idol. It's a small tropical fish. It has black and white and yellow stripes." She poked her cheek, right on this yellow colouration of her skin. "And spots like that on their snouts. I used to have webbed fingers and toes and even a long and thin dorsal fin and little frills around my gills but they all were surgically removed. Oh and I'm three-quarters fishperson. My dad was a full fish person. As far as anyone knows really. He was an orphan. My mom was a half fishperson though. Only my grandpa was human. I don't remember him at all though. Or my grandma for that matter. I was like two when they died."

Bepo's ears dropped and he nudged against Emil. "I'm sorry."

Emil gave him a faint smile and patted his head. "Thanks. They died due to age. They were already old when they had my mom. And, as I said, I don't even remember them."

Law wondered whether Bepo noticed she poke about her parents in the past tense too. "Why were your fins and webs surgically removed?"

Emil shrugged. "So I look even more human."

"Why?" With her straightforward attitude, Emil for sure was already pulling people's attention to her. What other reason could there be to remove those? A dorsal fin might be a nuisance with clothing and laying on the back - Law could somewhat understand that - _especially_ if it was underdeveloped because of her human blood. But webbed fingers? None of the fishpeople Law had seen before seemed to have issues with handling things because of their webs.

" _That_ is a story for another time." Emil winked at Law. "We'll have plenty of time after all. You're from North Blue, aren't you? I hope you like snow, there's going to be a _lot_ of it in a few days. Wait..." She frowned. "You'll still be here for the summer and it's going to be a _hot_ one. Seasons on Anvis change every week and three weeks in a row it's wet and then three weeks are dry. Spring will be wet as well but summer will be dry and _hot_."

Law lowered his mug onto the armrest. Emil was joking, wasn't she?

"I hate hot." Bepo slumped in his chair and held Emil tighter. "Are somewhere on this island cold lakes I can swim in this summer?"

"Yeah, don't worry about that." Emil pulled away from Bepo only to reach to the table and pick two muffins. She handed Bepo one while biting the other herself. "I know a few spots, they have good fish too if you're interested."

"Yes," Bepo nodded, closing his eyes. He seemed to already be drooling at the idea or it was the muffin he promptly stuffed into his mouth. "I would love to."

"Miss Emil-" Law tapped his finger against his mug "-just how long does it take for a Log Pose to set on this island?" She mentioned they will still be there for the summer so at least three weeks. _That_ was already too long to Law's liking.

"Four weeks." Emil grinned at him with her cheek stuffed. "Exactly four weeks." 

Law breathed in and held it. He resisted the urge to facepalm. It could have been worse, of course, but he was ready for a week at _most_. Not four! Should he risk it and travel to the other two islands Bepo's Log Pose pointed at? No. It was too risky. Their needles weren't stable in the slightest. Then again...

Law looked up at Emil and Bepo. She still sat on Bepo's armrest with her feet on the other one and arm on Bepo's shoulder while his arm was wrapped around her back. They both munched on their muffins while watching Law with owl-like eyes. There was a slight smirk on Emil's lips. That's why she had prattled on about all those little things she wanted, didn't she? With such long timeframe, chances were she would get all of them at some point.

With such long timeframe, he would have ample opportunities to figure out what she wanted in exchange for haki and then training.

He exhaled. "Very well." He put away his empty mug, picked a single sugar cookie and swung to his feet.

Bepo followed suit and stood up, picking Emil up in his arms. She, in turn, simply let that happen, eyeing Law with interest.

"I'll be on my way back to the submarine, miss Emil." He should pass on to them they will be staying a bit longer - there was no point in rushing to replenish supplies. They would be better of waiting till last few days on the island with that. "Would you like to accompany me?"

"Sure!" She rolled off Bepo's arms. "I'll just let the others know." She trotted out and upstairs.

Watching her out, Law took a bite of her cookie. It was good. Vanilla and almond and not too sweet. He glanced at Bepo who finished off his own tea, stuffed one more chocolate muffin into his mouth and - nearly blushing at how delicious it was - picked up Kikoku. Just like with Bepo's, Emil was going to win the hearts of roughly half of his crew with her sweets alone. Cheri was an excellent cook but they were strict with deserts and snacking between meals. A handful of those would follow her like lost puppies only because she's a woman. Well, when they realise that there's a woman under those thick and baggy clothes, not a young, pretty boy. Her lack of makeup or jewellery certainly didn't help.

"I like Emil. She smells nice, Captain."

Law didn't avert his gaze from the flags hung on the wall but tilted his head toward Bepo. "Don't let out that Emil is a woman. Let the others believe she might be a man."

"Aye, Aye Captain, but..." Law didn't see it but he could imagine a deep frown on Bepo's face as he looked down. "Is it really that hard to tell that?"

"Cheri will notice it straight away, maybe Flynn too." He skipped the fact he wasn't sure himself for quite some time. "But others will think she's a boy." The longer it took them to realise, the more amusing their reactions were going to be. At least a handful of them - Shachi and Penguin to name the few - the majority won't really care... Other than being amused by the aforementioned handful.

"Do you think any of those is from the ship we found, Captain?" Bepo stepped past Law and back into the hallway, flicking his ears toward the staircase.

"Their Jolly Roger was different." It had a pair of harpoons... Or pikes. None of those present had them. "My guess is those are gifts."

Emil trotted downstairs and past Bepo, humming along with the music from the gramophone.

"Emil?" Bepo turned and joined her closer to the front door, away from Law's line of sight. "What are those flags? Around the door?"

"Oh? Those are gifts. The very top one right to the left from the doorway was the first one. A lovely bunch. They are merchants specialising in musical instruments but they play too. It was their second time over since I moved over here. Most of those are crews who routinely pass through Anvis. Some stayed a whole month, some carried on after a few days with their Eternal Poses. Most were too scared to go into the forest on their own. I mean yeah, those animals are devastating when they band on you together but each on their own is not that hard to defeat, especially when one knows their weak point. Most animals here has some weak point."

Law stepped into the hallway. Leaning back against a wall, Emil was tying up her second boot and Bor was still on her shoulder.

"How did you know we are from North Blue?" Crossing his arms, Law leaned against the doorframe. She couldn't read, she seemed to live alone - guests upstairs were just that, guests - and Law doubted there was a lot of regular traffic on Anvis. Not with this ridiculous waiting time.

"A friend of mine is a fan of yours. Well, most of Supernovas but yours and Strawhats in particular. She lives on Floris, the next island over on your route." Done with tying up her boots, Emil walked outside, leaving the front door wide open. "It's close enough for Den Den Mushi to work when the skies are clouded. She talks my ear off whenever there's some update about your lot. She rambled about the Marinefort for a week straight."

Bepo stooped on the porch and leaned his head back. The fog had lifted but not much - the sky was just one grey expanse and the submarine in the bay was just a discolouration. "How big is hour haki range? Can you sense the clouds?"

Walking backwards, with her hands linked behind her back, Emil shook her head. "No, I can't. Bor lets me know if there are clouds." 

// WIP


End file.
